North America Falling Behind in Enterprise Green IT Initiatives, says Info-Tech Research Group

London, ON – January 29, 2008 – When it comes to taking action on green IT initiatives, a new study by Info-Tech Research Group finds that enterprises in North America lag behind those in Asia and Europe. Respondents from North America are also less concerned with their carbon footprints than those from the rest of the world, with nearly one-fifth reporting low to minimal levels of concern about climate change.

"People in North America tend to believe that newly industrialized countries like India and China wouldn’t have the means or interest to support green technologies," said Aaron Hay, research consultant with Info-Tech Research Group. "In reality, the study paints a very different picture as North America is failing to keep pace with the adoption rates of green IT techniques in emerging economies."

Info-Tech's "Green Attitudes and Action" report released earlier this month, shows that North American organizations with 1,000 computers in operation can considerably reduce their current power consumption by adopting simple quick win policies. By turning off computers when they are not in use, companies can save up to $35,000 in power bills; in the United States, the environmental impact of that conservation is equivalent to taking 40 cars off the road. The study, which surveyed more than 2,000 individuals worldwide during December 2007, noted that more than 75 per cent of respondents in Asia confirmed that their organization had policies in place for turning off computers when not in use, compared to a meager 35 per cent in North America.

In addition to the implementation of quick win policies, the study revealed that almost double the amount of respondents from Asia reported the adoption of major initiatives such as "green RFPs" favoring acquisition of energy-efficient solutions and technologies.

One factor contributing to the green IT lag in North America is that IT departments in the U.S. and Canada have a fully-installed base of legacy IT equipment, whereas companies in burgeoning economies have the chance to apply green IT techniques in brand-new infrastructure. While the average data center in North America is more than 10 years old, businesses in other regions, particularly Asia, are deploying them for the first time.

"As IT departments refresh existing infrastructure, particularly in the data center, there are numerous technologies enabling Green IT and more vendors will be bringing energy-efficient servers to market," said Hay. "And the good news is, greening of IT delivers cost efficiencies while improving the environment, so that should be good incentive for IT managers in North America."

About Info-Tech Research Group

With a paid membership of over 21,000 worldwide, Info-Tech Research Group is the global leader in providing tactical, practical Information Technology research and analysis. Info-Tech has a ten-year history of delivering quality research and is one of North America's fastest growing full-service IT analyst firms.